Think about why he might chew them. Does he crave something to gnaw? Want to see out the window? Or do you give him attention when he does this? Even yelling at him gets the cat attention he craves. My own cat learned to rattle the blinds and make a racket, because it made my husband get up and chase her (he feared she’d pull them down). It turned into a wonderful game for the cat, and made my husband a nervous wreck!
The key to changing such behavior is to make the illegal target unattractive, while providing an alternative that kitty can’t resist.
If she’s craving something to chew, provide her with something edible that’s more rewarding for her. A higher fiber diet may help. Those designed to help control hairballs often do the trick. You could also add fresh green beans to her food as a treat. Or purchase one of the small-sized doggy rawhide chews, dip it in no-salt chicken broth to soften, and stick in the microwave for ten seconds.
Make the mini-blinds unattractive by opening them so they’re out of reach. Or treat them with something that tastes (or better yet!) smells bad to the cat. Commercial pet repellent products that contain bitter apple work for some cats. Others like the taste. Every cat is different. The scent of citrus repels some cats, or try painting a bit of Vicks menthol ointment on the blinds.
If you believe the cat does this to garner attention, you’ll also need to practice tough kitty love and IGNORE the behavior. Oh, that’s hard, I know. But only by ignoring some of these behaviors will the cat learn she gets no rewards. Be aware that the behavior may get worse before it gets better and goes away.
More: continued here
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